La Ira de Dios
Archaeopterix (CD) 2006 Ogro
Lima, Peru's La Ira de Dios (The Wrath of God) has made a nigh-on-perfect album of heavy space rock. If you're one of those folks who like to get an idea of whether to buy something or not from the first lines of a review, then that's all you need to know. Click on one of those websites listed above and get your wallet out. For the rest of us, the band has really hit their stride with 'Archaeopterix'. From the classy Gustav Dore cover to the last shimmering musical note, La Ira de Dios is a class act all the way. Like the ancient bird/reptile from whom the album takes its name, there's nobody quite like them. The album opens with the eponymous title track, a heavy space boogie doom exercise with atmospheric synth whooshes and pounding guitar, as reminiscent of Las Cruces' 'Farewell' as it is of Hawkwind. And that killer guitar solo! 'El lamado' is an instrumental with tons of destructive intensity, pointing to yet two more of the band's strengths: forceful, brain-kill jamming and lead guitar that sounds like Dave Brock. Yeah! The lengthy 'Al Viento' starts as a slow space blues not unlike early Ash Ra Tempel. After a quiet interlude, the tribal drums start pounding and the chanting space vocals ring out. This time it's the bass' turn to shine: no higher compliment can be given than to say it sounds like Lemmy in 1972, and that's exactly what it sounds like. 'Nave Fenix' is churning up-tempo space rock chaos with a tasty 'Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters' vibe, and the epic 'Cordillera' is 24+ minutes of guitar strumming building to a beautiful Floyd-ian climax. Is it overtly Floyd-ian? Nah, it's just right. And don't forget the video! Those who liked the bluesy garage space rock of the group's previous effort, 'Hacia el Sol Rojo', will flat-out love 'Archaeopterix', especially those who favored the first cut on that album, 'Perdidos en el Espacio,' which was a nice kinda sorta reworking of Hawkwind's classic 'Born to Go.' Truth be told, however, 'Archaeopterix' leaves it in the (space) dust. It is simply one of the best, most honest, most incredible heavy space rock albums ever. It deserves to take its place in the front ranks, alongside Hawkwind's 'Space Ritual' and 'DoReMi', Los Natas' 'Munchen Sessions', Ash Ra Tempel 70-73, Colour Haze's epic 'Peace, Brothers and Sisters', Hypnos 69's 'Eclectic Measure', and...well, isn't that enough? This is music to ride the spaceways to, popping hallucinogens like candy before metamorphisizing into a pure ball of energy. Yeah, it's recommended.	1. Archaeopterix 2. El Llamado 3. Al Viento 4. Nave Fenix 5. Cordillera *Video* Nave Fenix Approx. 68 minutes
Reviewed by: Kevin McHugh